What counts as "absent?"

For research purposes, a student is considered chronically absent if she misses 10 percent or more of the school year—roughly 18 days in a typical 180-day year—for any reason. Sometimes that's calculated before the end of the school year; a student who has missed five days in the first nine-week grading period could be considered chronically absent by an early warning system, for instance.

The National Forum on Education Statistics's guide to measuring attendance does not distinguish between "excused" and "unexcused" absences, because, it argues, "all absences reduce a student's opportunity to learn." In practice, however, attendance definitions vary significantly from state to state and even district to district. A student may or may not be counted as missing school if he is sick, caring for a family member, in court, or observing a religious holiday—all of which are considered absences under the federal guide.

Moreover, for secondary school students, districts can vary in whether they take attendance once, at the start of the school day, or at the start of each class. The latter can reveal patterns of students skipping particular classes, which could point to different problems (arguments with a teacher or leaving early for an after-school job, for example.)

Education watchers will be able to get the most comprehensive picture of chronic absenteeism later this spring, when the U.S. Education Department's office for civil rights will release nationwide data on students who miss 15 days or more of school.

What brings students back to class?

Traditionally, most efforts to combat absenteeism focused on criminalizing truancy, through taking students and their parents to court if the students miss too many days. However, a 2015 Texas study found truancy courts disproportionately targeted black and Hispanic students, as well as students in special education, and the fines the courts imposed may have hurt families in poverty.

President Obama's initiative focuses on providing chronically absent students with mentors, and there is someearlyevidence that this may help, but there have been few studies detailing what attendance-based mentoring is most effective.

Efforts to eliminate school suspensions that disproportionately affect poor and minority students also may have a side benefit of reducing missed school time for those students, according to a 2014 study, as suspensions both remove students from school and contribute to disengagement in the long run.

Chart: Throughout elementary grades, lower income is associated with higher poverty, according to data from the National Center for Children in Poverty. Source: National Center for Children in Poverty, Education Week.

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